Former Arizona All-American Colton Smith came up just short in his bid to qualify for the U.S. Open main draw.
Smith advanced to the third and final round of qualifying before losing to France’s Hugo Gaston 1-6, 6-4, 6-2 Friday.
Gaston was the No. 3 seed in the qualifying bracket and is ranked 88th in the world. Smith is ranked 221st.
Smith met a similar fate in his bid to qualify for Wimbledon earlier this summer, falling in the third round to Michael Zheng.
Smith’s qualifying run for the U.S. Open began with a three-set victory over Italy’s Andrea Pellegrino, who was seeded 22nd and ranked 129th.
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Colton Smith hits the ball during doubles play against Harvard in Round 2 of the NCAA Tournament at LaNelle Robson Tennis Center in Tucson on May 3, 2025.
The next match again went the distance. Smith outlasted Switzerland’s Jerome Kym, prevailing 7-6 (7-2), 2-6, 6-4.
Smith entered U.S. Open qualifying having won $230,199 in prize money so far this year.
In early August, Smith faced former UA teammate and roommate Jay Friend in a round-of-32 match in the ATP Challenger event in Lexington, Kentucky. Friend, who was one year behind Smith and finished his UA career this past spring, won the match 5-7, 7-6 (7-4), 6-3.
Contact sports reporter/columnist Michael Lev at mlev@tucson.com. On X (Twitter): @michaeljlev. On Bluesky: @michaeljlev.bsky.social
Michael Lev
Sports Reporter/Columnist
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